The present invention relates to fabrication of matching pairs of electrodes.
WO99/13562 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,060 disclose applications for which it is beneficial to have two separated surfaces which substantially mirror each other, and methods for making pairs of electrodes whose surfaces replicate each other are disclosed therein. The methods involve fabricating a composite by providing a first electrode with a substantially flat surface and placing a sacrificial layer over it. A second material, which will form the second electrode, is placed over the sacrificial layer. The composite is then ‘split’ into two matching electrodes by removing the sacrificial layer by etching, by cooling the sandwich with liquid nitrogen, or by heating to evaporate the sacrificial layer.
A possible drawback of using a sacrificial is that it can dull some features of a surface to be matched and thereby degrade the quality of the surface matching. Additionally, incomplete removal of the sacrificial layer, or damage to one of both of the surfaces by the techniques used for removing the layer would be deleterious to the quality of the surface matching.
The present invention offers an improved means for providing paired electrodes that dispenses with the need for a sacrificial layer.